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In this paper, six types of air pollutant concentrations are taken as the research object, and the data monitored by the micro air quality detector are calibrated by the national control point measurement data. We use correlation analysis to find out the main factors affecting air quality, and then build a stepwise regression model for six types of pollutants based on 8 months of data. Taking the stepwise regression fitting value and the data monitored by the miniature air quality detector as input variables, combined with the multilayer perceptron neural network, the SRA-MLP model was obtained to correct the pollutant data. We compared the stepwise regression model, the standard multilayer perceptron neural network and the SRA-MLP model by three indicators. Whether it is root mean square error, average absolute error or average relative error, SRA-MLP model is the best model. Using the SRA-MLP model to correct the data can increase the accuracy of the self-built point data by 42.5% to 86.5%. The SRA-MLP model has excellent prediction effects on both the training set and the test set, indicating that it has good generalization ability. This model plays a positive role in scientific arrangement and promotion of miniature air quality detectors. It can be applied not only to air quality monitoring, but also to the monitoring of other environmental indicators.

Type II acid soluble collagen (CIIA), pepsin soluble collagen (CIIP) and type II gelatin (GII) were isolated from silvertip shark (Carcharhinus albimarginatus) cartilage and examined for their physicochemical and antioxidant properties. GII had a higher hydroxyproline content (173 mg/g) than the collagens and cartilage. CIIA, CIIP and GII were composed of two identical α1 and β chains and were characterized as type II. Amino acid analysis of CIIA, CIIP and GII indicated imino acid contents of 150, 156 and 153 amino acid residues per 1000 residues, respectively. Differing Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of CIIA, CIIP and GII were observed, which suggested that the isolation process affected the secondary structure and molecular order of collagen, particularly the triple-helical structure. The denaturation temperature of GII (32.5 °C) was higher than that of CIIA and CIIP. The antioxidant activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radicals and the reducing power of CIIP was greater than that of CIIA and GII. SEM microstructure of the collagens depicted a porous, fibrillary and multi-layered structure. Accordingly, the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of type II collagens (CIIA, CIIP) and GII isolated from shark cartilage were found to be suitable for biomedical applications.

Background After long-term artificial selection and lineage mixing, the Danish Landrace pig (DLR), has developed characteristics such as a long body length, high lean meat rate, rapid growth rate, high litter size, and a longer gestation period, with an average gestation length of 117 days. However, the genes responsible for these desirable traits remain partly unknown. According to the breeding history of DLR pigs, it has undergone introgression from British Large White pigs (BLW), selection for high lean meat rate and long body length within the population, and a rapid improvement in reproductive performance since 1992. Research on Danish Duroc and Large White pigs has detected that the lineage of pigs in Taihu Lake region (TL) has introgressed into these two breeds. Therefore, we performed resequencing and chip scanning on 106 TL pigs and 557 DLR pigs, and downloaded 163 resequencing data from Eurasian pigs for shared haplotype analysis, selective sweep analysis, and GWAS. Results The results indicate that 12 important genes, including CREB3L2 , PRKAB2 , HIF1A , IGF1 , have introgressed from BLW into DLR pigs. These genes enhance lean meat percentage by participating in thermogenesis, oxidative phosphorylation and HIF-1 signaling pathways. In the DLR pig population, 13 shared selected genes were identified across three selective sweep methods. These genes including HBM , RHBDF1 , POLR3K , ZNF484 , were found to be associated with growth rate, body length, lean meat percentage, and reproductive performance by pheWAS analysis. Interestingly, reproductive performance is primarily related to gestational trait. GWAS for gestational trait in DLR pig population revealed 13 significant genes which also under selection in selective sweeps. These genes include INSYN1 , NPTN , NEO1 , ZDHHC21 . Our study clarifies that the lineage of TL pigs has also introgressed into DLR pigs, with NDUFS4 being an important introgressed gene influencing reproductive performance. Moreover, compared to the low-fertility American Landrace pigs, HTR7 , RPP30 , ANKRD1 , ARHGAP42 , and CNTN5 may be important genes selected for enhancing litter size within the DLR pigs. Conclusions Our research deepens the understanding of the breeding history of DLR pigs, preliminarily identifies genes associated with the characteristics of high lean meat percentage, long body length, and high fertility in DLR pigs, and also finds that the high litter size of DLR pigs may be related to gestation length.

Background Eurasian pigs have undergone lineage admixture throughout history. It has been confirmed that the genes of indigenous pig breeds in China have been introduced into Western commercial pigs, providing genetic materials for breeding Western pigs. Pigs in Taihu Lake region (TL), such as the Meishan pig and Erhualian pig, serve as typical representatives of indigenous pig breeds in China due to their high reproductive performances. These pigs have also been imported into European countries in 1970 and 1980 s. They have played a positive role in improving the reproductive performances in European commercial pigs such as French Large White pigs (FLW). However, it is currently unclear if the lineage of TL pigs have been introgressed into the Danish Large White pigs (DLW), which are also known for their high reproductive performances in European pigs. To systematically identify genomic regions in which TL pigs have introgressed into DLW pigs and their physiological functions, we collected the re-sequencing data from 304 Eurasian pigs, to identify shared haplotypes between DLW and TL pigs. Results The findings revealed the presence of introgressed genomic regions from TL pigs in the genome of DLW pigs indeed. The genes annotated within these regions were found to be mainly enriched in neurodevelopmental pathways. Furthermore, we found that the 115 kb region located in SSC16 exhibited highly shared haplotypes between TL and DLW pigs. The major haplotype of TL pigs in this region could significantly improve reproductive performances in various pig populations. Around this genomic region, NDUFS4 gene was highly expressed and showed differential expression in multiple reproductive tissues between extremely high and low farrowing Erhualian pigs. This suggested that NDUFS4 gene could be an important candidate causal gene responsible for affecting the reproductive performances of DLW pigs. Conclusions Our study has furthered our knowledge of the pattern of introgression from TL into DLW pigs and the potential effects on the fertility of DLW pigs.

The spleen is a primary target of deoxynivalenol (DON) toxicity, but its underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study investigates the effects of DON on inflammation, splenic macrophage polarization, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and transcriptome changes (mRNA and lncRNAs) in mouse spleen. We found that DON exposure at doses of 2.5 or 5 mg/kg BW significantly induced inflammation and polarized splenic macrophages towards the M1 phenotype. Additionally, DON activated PERK-eIF2α-ATF4-mediated ER stress and upregulated apoptosis-related proteins (caspase-12, caspase-3). The ER stress inhibitor, 4-Phenylbutyric acid, significantly alleviated DON-induced ER stress, apoptosis, and the M1 polarization of splenic macrophages. Transcriptome analysis identified 1968 differentially expressed (DE) lncRNAs and 2664 DE mRNAs in mouse spleen following DON exposure. Functional enrichment analysis indicated that the upregulated genes were involved in pathways associated with immunity, including Th17 cell differentiation, TNF signaling, and IL-17 signaling, while downregulated mRNAs were linked to cell survival and growth pathways. Furthermore, 370 DE lncRNAs were predicted to target 255 DE target genes associated with immune processes, including the innate immune response, interferon-beta response, cytokine production regulation, leukocyte apoptosis, and NF-κB signaling genes. This study provides new insights into the mechanisms underlying DON toxicity and its effects on the immune system.

Teat number is an important economic trait in pigs, affecting piglet health and survival. While numerous GWAS have identified candidate genes for teat number in Duroc, Landrace, and Large White pigs, the causal genes remain unclear, largely due to a lack of transcriptional and epigenetic studies on mammary placodes in 26‐day‐old pig embryos, a critical stage for teat formation. Erhualian and Bamaxiang pigs, derived from Chinese wild boars, serve as ideal models for studying genetic variation in teat number, with Erhualian averaging nearly 20 teats and Bamaxiang around 10. This study collected mammary placodes from these breeds at embryonic day 26 and performed ATAC‐seq and RNA‐seq to explore chromatin accessibility and gene expression. Results indicate widespread chromatin accessibility across mammary placodes. Of the 30,806 open chromatin regions (OCRs) identified, only 30 showed breed‐specific differences, suggesting conserved accessibility patterns across breeds. OCRs are enriched in intergenic and promoter regions, and significantly overlap with QTL intervals for teat number. RNA‐seq revealed 4432 differentially expressed genes between the two breeds, including WTN10B and WNT6, indicating breed‐specific gene expression patterns. Combining ATAC‐seq and RNA‐seq results identified three protein‐coding genes (ENSSSCG00000031037, ENSSSCG00000032042, and ENSSSCG00000039180) near 48.80 Mb on SSC14 that are associated with teat number according to pheWAS and GWAS data. FISH analysis confirmed that ENSSSCG00000031037 is specifically expressed in epithelial cells of mammary placodes, and this region is under stronger selection in Erhualian pigs, suggesting its role in the breed's higher teat number. In conclusion, this study integrates ATAC‐seq and RNA‐seq to construct a chromatin accessibility and gene expression map of pig mammary placodes. It identifies ENSSSCG00000031037, ENSSSCG00000032042, and ENSSSCG00000039180 as key candidate genes driving teat number differences, providing insights for understanding QTL intervals and identifying causal genes linked to teat number in pigs.

Introduction Tiered social health insurance (SHI) schemes exist in many countries and may lead to significant disparities of healthcare and financial protection. The degree of cancer care inequalities under tiered SHI in China and other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remain poorly understood. Methods We obtained hospital discharged summary for 319,677 patients diagnosed with lung cancer between 2017 and 2021 in Shandong, China, and established propensity score-matched samples under the Urban and Rural Resident Basic Medical Insurance (URRBMI) and those under the Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance (UEBMI). We ran multivariable regressions to assess the effects of SHI schemes on cancer treatment and expenditures. Subgroup analyses of cancer treatment were conducted based on whether the cancer had metastasized. Results In the matched samples, utilization of inpatient cancer care increased under both schemes from 2017 to 2021. Higher proportions of inpatient cancer care utilization were seen in those under UEBMI compared those under URRBMI, consistently with statistical significance. UEBMI was associated with a higher probability of receiving surgery in patients without metastasis, and higher probabilities of receiving radiotherapy or chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy in patients with metastasis. Patients under UEBMI were also less likely to be discharged against medical advice than those under URRBMI. Furthermore, UEBMI beneficiaries had 13.3% higher total expenditures but 19.1% lower out-of-pocket expenditures. Conclusions Significant gaps remained in access to inpatient treatment and financial protection for lung cancer, particularly in surgery for non-metastatic cancer. Targeted harmonization of benefit packages is needed to address pressing disparities in cancer care in LMICs with tiered SHI.

Analytical similarity assessment of critical quality attributes (CQAs) serves as a foundation for the development of biosimilar products and facilitates an abbreviated subsequent clinical evaluation. In this study, we establish a statistical evaluation roadmap with statistical approaches for some selected CQAs from Tier 1, because they are most relevant to clinical outcomes and require the most rigorous statistical methods. In the roadmap, we incorporate 3 methods-ranking and tier assignment of quality attributes, the equivalence test, and the Mann-Whitney test for equivalence-that are important to determine analytical similarity between the reference and biosimilar products. For the equivalence test, we develop a power calculation formula based on the two one-sided tests procedure. Exact sample sizes can be numerically calculated. Then, we propose a flexible idea for selecting the number of reference lots (nR) and the number of biosimilar lots (nT) to adjust for serious unbalanced sample sizes. From results of extensive simulations under various parameter settings, we obtain a workable strategy to determine the optimum sample size combination (nT, nR) for the equivalence test of CQAs from Tier 1. R codes are provided to facilitate implementation of the roadmap and corresponding methods in practice.

The number of ribs (NRs) and the carcass length (CL) are important economic traits. The traits are usually measured after slaughter. To improve the prediction performance of genomic selection (GS) for NRs and CL, one strategy is to integrate the significant loci identified from whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data by genome-wide association study (GWAS) into the genomic prediction (GP) model. This study investigated the GP of different genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) and Bayesian models using chip genotype data, imputed WGS (iWGS) data and modeling significant single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in different ways for the GP of NRs and CL in the Suhuai pig population. The prediction accuracy, bias and running time of 15 different GP models were evaluated by 10-fold cross-validation. The prediction accuracy of GBLUP using chip data for NRs and CL was 0.314 ± 0.022 and 0.194 ± 0.040, respectively. For NRs, based on the iWGS data, treating the most significant SNP as fixed effects in the GBLUP model had the highest predictive performance, with a prediction accuracy of 0.528 ± 0.023. For CL, based on the chip data, the model that added all the significant SNPs identified by imputed data by GWAS into the multi-trait GBLUP as the second random additive effect was the highest predictive performance, with a prediction accuracy of 0.305 ± 0.027. This study provides insights into optimizing GP models for small populations with phenotypes that are difficult to measure.

Rare-earth elements have been widely used in the field of functional materials, but their effects on the cold-stamping formability of high-strength automotive steels have rarely been studied. In this paper, the effect of the trace rare-earth element Ce on the microstructure and properties of cold-rolled medium manganese steel after ART (austenite-reverted transformation, ART) annealing was studied. The microstructure of the experimental steel was observed using SEM, and the mechanical properties were tested using a universal tensile testing machine. The volume fraction of the retained austenite and the texture of the steel were measured using XRD. The results showed that the original austenite grain size of the experimental steel was smaller after adding the trace rare-earth element Ce. After ART annealing, the grain size distribution of the experimental steel with rare-earth Ce was more uniform, and the comprehensive mechanical properties were better. Under the conditions of quenching at 800 °C for 5 min and annealing at 645 °C for 15 min, the maximum product of tensile strength and elongation was 28.47 GPa·%.